


Breathing Again

by malecismyheartandsoul



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Basically married, Boyfriends in love, Fluff, I dont know how to tag, M/M, Malec, Post 2x20, alec's an adorable loser, also the word compliant, baths, everybodys happy, everythings fluffy, i use the word reluctant a lot but we'll pretend it's not a problem, im not a professional ok i couldn't think of other words, literally just 2.7k words of fluff, lol, magnus is a fabulous magical bby, noboys hurt, not smut but they do get naked, season two, soft, this is my first fanfiction dont judge me too harshly lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 08:23:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12031959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malecismyheartandsoul/pseuds/malecismyheartandsoul
Summary: My version of what happened between Alec and Magnus after they left the party.(post 2x20)





	Breathing Again

Alec felt like he could finally breathe again. At last, he felt as if he wasn’t suffocating anymore; he wasn’t struggling against burning lungs or taking sharp breaths or trying to fight off his self-deprecating thoughts. He wasn’t swallowing the lumps in his throat or digging his nails into his palms anymore, because he didn’t have to, not anymore. Because he was finally back where he knew he had to be, where he knew he needed to be, safe and sound in the arms of the man he loved.

When Magnus had suggested that they leave the party, Alec’s heart had nearly skipped a beat at how relieved he had felt. His hands shook nervously and itched with the need to touch Magnus, to pull him close and bind the warlock to his own body so that he never had to suffer through the pain of his absence again.

He barely made it through the walk to the loft, his hands grabbing at his boyfriend’s waist, tugging him closer to press soft kisses to his lips, before brushing more against his cheeks, his eyes, his nose, his forehead. It was only when Magnus complained about the cold of the night that Alec actually started walking properly. He took Magnus’s hand and tugged, pulling him through the streets, eager to get back to the loft, back to his home.

The trip could have been made short, had Magnus conjured up a portal, but Alec had insisted that after the day he had had, Magnus needed the rest and that they should walk instead. Magnus had begun to protest, but at the touch of Alec’s lips against his, he reluctantly complied.

Magnus laughed as Alec all but skipped to the loft building, a small smile on his face as he rushed to the door. They made their way up to the loft, and Alec felt the familiar push of the wards around Magnus’s building as they checked who was entering the warlock’s home. They wrapped around him with a sharp cold tingle until, upon recognizing him, they relaxed and morphed into a soft warm vibration that flowed through him from head to toe. It was a bright contrast to how they had felt earlier that day, compliant but reluctant, unsure of whether or not they should reject someone who had become so familiar to them.

His smile only grew wider when he actually entered the loft, the sharp burnt sugar smell of Magnus’s potions and magic making its way through his nose as he took in the place that had slowly become his home over the past few weeks. He wasn’t actually sure what to do, shuffling awkwardly as he wondered if he was still allowed to consider this place his sanctuary. If he was allowed to be comfortable and carefree in a place that had only this morning, been a place that he was shut out off, its door quite literally closed in his face.

Magnus strode past him, already removing his coat and banishing it off to somewhere in his closet. He made his way over to his drink cart, preparing what had to have been his twentieth drink of the night. When he was done, he took a sip, turning around to face Alec, who he realized wasn’t next to him, because he was still standing by the door, feet rooted to the ground and hands clasped behind his back in his signature soldier-like stance.

“Alexander?” He asked with a small frown on his face, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yes, of course, I just don’t … I’m not really sure if I can-“ he was avoiding Magnus’s eyes, his hands moving in front of him as spoke.

“Alexander.”

“Yes?” Alec asked, finally moving his gaze up and meeting Magnus’s eyes.

“I don’t know about you, but I’ve missed my boyfriend very much and I’d appreciate it a lot if he would actually enter the loft and have a drink with me,” Magnus said, gesturing with his finger as a small smile spread across his face.

“Y-yeah, I can do that,” Alec smiled back at Magnus, finally making his way over to his favourite warlock and resting his hands on his waist.

“Alexander, you’re not afraid that I wouldn’t want you here, are you?” Magnus asked, his hand moving up to rest on Alec’s cheek. The shadowhunter leaned into the touch, nearly purring at the feel of Magnus’s hand.

“It’s not that, I just, I’m not-“

“Alec, you’re always welcome in my home, you don’t ever have to doubt that,” Magnus says it in a whisper, his face drawing closer and closer to Alec’s.

Alec squeezes his eyes shut, almost overwhelmed at the feeling of Magnus so close to him. He was right there, his scent surrounding him and his hands comforting him in a way that he thought he’d never experience again.

And then he was kissing him again, and Alec felt like he was breathing the freshest air known to man. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, as if it were a bird fluttering its wings as it soared, fully immersed in the ecstasy that was his boyfriend’s lips.

Magnus’s hand moved down to cup his jaw, angling his head to deepen the kiss, pulling Alec to draw him closer. Alec went willingly, tightening his hands on Magnus’s waist and pulling him impossibly closer. Magnus’s other hand found its way to his hip, drawing small circles and tracing runes that he knew were there.

It was only when they really had to take in air again that they pulled away, leaving a hair’s width between them. They stayed like that for a few moments, simply staring at each other and taking each other in. Because there was no rush, they weren’t at war anymore. There were no more raging psychopaths who sought out the destruction of an entire race, or the constant worry of whether or not the ones he loved were alright. There was only Magnus, and the feeling of his fingertips gliding over his hips and his warm breaths fanning over Alec’s lips.

After a few minutes, Magnus pulled away and Alec nearly let out a whimper at the loss of contact. But then he was being pulled by the hand towards the bathroom, and Magnus was tugging him through a doorway while conjuring up hot water and bubbles into the bathtub.

“Magnus, what are you-“

But then Magnus was removing his shirt, the brown and black silk gliding smoothly across the caramel skin, like warm chocolate across a sheet of honeycomb. And then the shirt was on the floor, and Magnus’s upper body was open and exposed, and Alec suddenly felt much more restricted in his pants.

“Magnus, why did you-“

“Alexander, I told you, the best way to get your energy back is a boiling hot bath. I fear that if I keep going along with our former fun activities, I’ll likely collapse before we can even get my pants off. So, I’m taking a bath and you’re taking one with me,” Magnus says, sliding his pants off in one smooth movement.

“But I-I don’t, I mean, I’m not really-“

Magnus looked up from where he had been removing his rings, and took in Alec’s stunned expression, “Oh darling, don’t feel obligated to do it simply because I said we should, you could wait in the bedroom or go to sleep if you’re not up for it.”

His expression was concerned, and his voice soothing, and it washed through Alec’s nerves like warm milk on a sore throat, and he instantly felt more relaxed.

“No Magnus, that’s ridiculous. Why on earth would I deny the opportunity to spend some time with my wonderful boyfriend, just to sleep alone in a cold bed?” He said it softly, his voice rough but sure as he tugged his shirt over his head.

“Well then why did you look so scared?”

“I wasn’t exactly scared, it’s just, we don’t really, I mean we don’t … we don’t really take baths at the Institute. It’s not allowed because there’s no time for anything other than a quick shower when you’re training to be a Shadowhunter,” he says, feeling the blush rise to his cheeks at the ridiculousness of the confession.

“I was just worried that I wouldn’t know how – I mean … is there a specific way, or do you just … soak?” he asked, gesturing with his hands at the bath.

Magnus stared at him for a moment, before smiling warmly at him. He tugged Alec by the hand again, before slowly removing his pants and underwear, and then his own underwear, and then finally banishing their socks and shoes to somewhere far away in the loft. He sunk into the water first, leaning against the back of the large tub. His then beckoned for Alec to follow, and Alec sunk in, sitting across from him.

Magnus chuckled and shook his head fondly, pulling on Alec’s hand again.

“No, Alexander, that won’t do. You’re too far, I need you closer,” he said as he pulled and turned Alec until the taller boy was lying against his chest. Magnus wrapped his arms around the Nephilim’s waist, before resting his head in the space between Alec’s neck and shoulder.

Alec sighed contentedly, leaned back into Magnus and smiling goofily.

“Okay this is amazing. Actually, this is more than amazing. This is wonderful, this is fantastic; this is absolutely, completely, entirely perfect. Why doesn’t everybody do this, why are Shadowhunters so stupid?”

“My dear Alexander, I’ve been asking myself the same question for centuries,” Magnus mumbled into his shoulder.

Alec chuckled softly, and grabbed one of Magnus’s hands that had been resting on his waist, intertwining their fingers and moving their joined hands so that they rested on his chest, directly above his heartbeat. He still felt as if the man beneath him wasn’t close enough, and sought more contact, tangling their legs together and pushing back so that he was pressed tightly against Magnus’s chest.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, a blissful paradise of nothing but bubbly foam and clear water and the love of his life pressed up against him. Magnus’s free hand was doing that thing again, drawing shivers out of Alec as he traced his hands over runes that he didn’t even have to check for, because he already knew that they were there.

Alec sunk lower, sliding down into the warm water until his head was propped up right were Magnus’s heart was situated.

“Magnus?” He whispered, his eyes trained to their connected hands, his own rough calloused one a sharp contrast to Magnus’s soft delicate hands. It was almost ironic that Magnus’s hands were so beautifully and gently carved, when it was a known fact that those very same hands were lethal weapons, beacons of a raging power that could wipe out an entire city if Magnus willed it to.

Magnus hummed in response, his fingers tightening around Alec’s.

“I love you so much,” Alec said; his voice so soft that had Magnus not been so close to him, he definitely wouldn’t have heard it. But that was what made the moment infinitely more perfect, the fact that there was no need to talk loudly, because in that moment, nothing else in the world mattered as much as Magnus did, and there was nothing else in that moment but the two of them, wrapped tightly together between bubbles and scented water.

Alec could feel Magnus smile against his shoulder, but he didn’t give him a chance to reply.

“I have never loved anyone the way I love you, Magnus. And I meant what I said earlier, I don’t think that I could live without you. I don’t want to even think about the possibility, because it hurts too much. It hurts too much to think that there could come a time where you aren’t mine and I’m not yours anymore,”

He turned around to face him, straddling his hips and unwinding their fingers so that he could cup both of Magnus’s cheeks. Magnus was looking up at him with nothing but pure adoration, his mouth open slightly in shock as he held Alec’s gaze.

“I missed you so much that it honestly felt like I couldn’t breathe, like I shouldn’t have been allowed to breathe, and that was only after a few days. Please don’t ever leave me Magnus. You can’t, I won’t make it,” He said it so openly and honestly, his voice hoarse as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Magnus nodded, his own eyes glossing over with unshed tears, “Never.”

Alec nodded and smiled, leaning in to brush his lips against Magnus’s, but their smiles were too wide to allow for an actual kiss.

“I love you too, you stupid Nephilim. I couldn’t possibly leave you even if I tried,” Magnus breathed out against his lips, and Alec’s smiled widened before his swallowed the words, engulfing Magnus’s lips in a deep kiss.

When he pulled back, he took a moment to take in Magnus’s face. He traced his thumb over the warlock’s cheekbone, revising every detail of the beautiful face that he had long since memorized.

Magnus opened his eyes at the loss of contact with Alec’s lips, and Alec’s heart nearly combusted at the sight of Magnus’s real eyes. The feline irises almost seemed as if they were glowing beneath the dim candle lights of the bathroom, a swirling gold and honey brown to match the perfectly caramel-coloured skin of Magnus’s body.

Alec let out a breathless chuckle, his mind barely even able to comprehend the fact that Magnus had lost control because of him, again. Magnus frowned slightly at Alec’s wonder filled expression until he realized what had happened, and he ducked his head slightly as if he wanted to put his glamour up again.

But Alec stopped him before he could, his voice firm and demanding. “No, Magnus don’t. Your eyes are so purely and beautifully you and I want to see them, because they’re a part of you.”

Magnus looked more than a little bit reluctant but nodded anyway, his smile slowly creeping back onto his face. Alec leaned forward and pressed a kiss to each of his eyelids, mumblings words of “beautiful” and “perfect”. And then he was kissing him again, lips attached to lips and mouths breathing each other in until it felt like nothing in the world was as refreshing as Magnus.

Both of them were giggling, barely able to control their happiness at being back together. And there they stayed, sharing kisses and small declarations of love for one another, the bubbles around them slowly turning to barely present foam. And when their bodies eventually shrivelled to the point where they resembled raisins, they reluctantly untangled themselves from each other and removed themselves from the tub.

Magnus conjured up two large soft towels, and slowly patted Alec down before wrapping it around Alec’s waist. Alec shivered at his touch, and grinned happily before returning the favour to Magnus.

They made their way to the bedroom, stealing kisses on the way there and beaming goofily at each other. After both of them had tugged on a pair of underwear each, they settled into their bed and sunk deep into the soft silk sheets. They were still the deep red colour of when Alec had last slept in it, and he breathed out a soft sigh of relief at being back in the familiar bed.

He moved his body until he was halfway on top of Magnus, his head resting on the warlock’s chest and his left leg thrown across Magnus’s. Magnus hummed in approval, tugging Alec closer and running a hand absentmindedly down his back.

Alec felt the warlock’s breaths slow until they started to fall into a rhythm, the rise and fall of his chest a soothing indication that he had fallen asleep. Alec pressed a kiss to Magnus’s chest, listening to the soft sound of his sighs and slight muttering.

He was finally breathing, he was soaring, he was flying, he was floating, he was completely and utterly soaked in pure happiness to the bone, and he never ever wanted that feeling to go away. Because he was right where he needed to be. He was Alexander, in the arms of Magnus Bane, the love of his life. And he was finally breathing again.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I'm Imaan *waves hands frantically*. This was meant to be posted weeks ago but my delayed ass only managed to get it up today. I hope you enjoyed and please comment your thoughts down below. (This is my first fanfiction so I'm sorry if it's crap lol)


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